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*Belated NGD* Hell comes to Oregon

Well folks, it's been a great few days here in the mostly soggy state of Oregon. I finished my Agile AL-2000 project, got to visit with my brother and his family which included some jamming, and to top it all off, it's HNGD here at casa FrankenFretter.

I've been following Syo's progress as he went from dream to reality, forming his own guitar label and finally producing a beautiful finished product. After watching this project reach fruition, I just had to have one of those guitars (or should I say "guilars"?). It arrived a few days ago, and I've put in a bit of playing time on my Bender in the last few days. This model has been reviewed by Robert already, so I won't go too deep in my own review. The finish is the Carmine Red Metallic, and it's gorgeous! Even the future Mrs. FrankenFretter, who thinks all my guitars look alike said it was very pretty. Her daughter Matilda keeps trying to pry it out of my hands because she wants it for herself. This was a B-stock, so there are some minor finish flaws, but it's nothing that concerns me in the least. I'm quite happy with the appearance, and most importantly, I love the sound and the playability.

Out of the box, the first thing I saw was the fantastic tweed hard case. Very nice. I should also mention that it was very, very well packed. Once unpacked, the first thing I noticed was the finish. I tuned it up right away, and noticed that the action was up pretty high. I left it like that for a little while just to see how it felt. String bends are easier, of course. I have dropped it down a bit since then, and it's playing great with no buzz. I'll probably drop it some more today, and get it as low as I like it.

The Bare Knuckle Riff Raffs are an Alnico V hand-wound pickup. My initial concern was that I may not bond with them, since I prefer A2 or A4 for the most part. Once I had put in some playing time, I decided that I really like these pickups a lot. They have a great bite to them, and brilliant articulation. These are a bit brighter than what I usually like, but I tend to like a slightly dark tone. I just back the tone control off a bit, and I'm in heaven. I may end up swapping the stock caps for some .033 PIO caps, but I also have some .025s that might be just enough. Those who know me here are probably already wondering what I'm going to change on this guitar. The answer is...almost nothing. I've already put on my favorite Marvel strap locks, and I did add one personal touch; you'll see that in the photos. Other than the caps, that may be just about it. I like it the way it is, and there's not anything that I feel is lacking or needs attention.

The neck is wider than most of my other guitars, and a bit thicker. That said, it's a very comfortable neck. It does require a few minutes for me to make the adjustment after playing one of my others, but I'm surprisingly happy with the neck.

Okay, enough jibber-jabber. On with the proof that it actually happened-

-SeanGuitars: Lots.Amphs: More than last year.Pedals: Many, although I go straight from guitar to amp more often lately.

Doug, you've hit the nail on the head. I think that has everything to do with Syo being very detail oriented, and being a very hands-on kind of guy when it comes to his products. It's nice to pull a guitar out of the box and not have to start thinking about what you'll need to change or replace. Of course that wouldn't always stop me, but in this case I like things the way they are.

-SeanGuitars: Lots.Amphs: More than last year.Pedals: Many, although I go straight from guitar to amp more often lately.

Thanks Bob! The poker chip is from a little company started by a husband and wife. I also have one that says "Rhythm/Trouble" on my AL-2000 Honeyburst, and one that says "Meaty/Sushi" on my Agile AL-3000 CSBF. Here's a link to their site. Really nice folks, very friendly!

-SeanGuitars: Lots.Amphs: More than last year.Pedals: Many, although I go straight from guitar to amp more often lately.

Thanks Bob! The poker chip is from a little company started by a husband and wife. I also have one that says "Rhythm/Trouble" on my AL-2000 Honeyburst, and one that says "Meaty/Sushi" on my Agile AL-3000 CSBF. Here's a link to their site. Really nice folks, very friendly!

....and thanks for the link FF! I love that Chillin' Killin' one. I'm going to do a bit of investigation tonight and see if they would work on my Matons. My BB1200 has a nasty scratch near the toggle that would probably be nicely covered with one of those. Just have to look and see if that part of the body is flat enough for it to sit flat though.

....and thanks for the link FF! I love that Chillin' Killin' one. I'm going to do a bit of investigation tonight and see if they would work on my Matons. My BB1200 has a nasty scratch near the toggle that would probably be nicely covered with one of those. Just have to look and see if that part of the body is flat enough for it to sit flat though.

Just FYI, the poker chips from Rhythm/Trouble are thicker than the standard issue, and there's no adhesive on the back. Something to bear in mind if you don't have a lot of threading showing on your switch. I was a little worried about this guitar for that reason, but as you can see, I did get it to work.

-SeanGuitars: Lots.Amphs: More than last year.Pedals: Many, although I go straight from guitar to amp more often lately.